Getting More out of your Camera: High-Key Photography

Spending Easter weekend in the countryside was a good opportunity to get stuck into my next project. To explore the high-key approach I needed to be able to get outside and find well-lit subjects with little shadow. The typical British weather obliged by providing an overcast sky. 

I chose pale toned subjects with an almost dreamy colouring. Having small areas of darkness in a high-key picture is helpful as they emphasise the lighter qualities of your shot.

I used bracketing (see Project 1) to achieve the results I wanted, selecting overexposed shots with a lighter, brighter quality. I also discovered the HDR Backlit Control function on my camera, which takes 3 consecutive shots and then merges them together to achieve an HDR effect.

High-key photography suits white-based subjects where you want to draw attention to certain key details of your shot and create a dreamy atmosphere. It would also be good for portraits.

Have you had success with the high-key approach?

Coming up soon…low-key photography.